Grow & Give Coordinator

High Desert Food & Farm Alliance

Job Title: Grow & Give Coordinator

Employment Status: Seasonal (20 hours per week), non-exempt

Compensation: $20.00 per hour

Start date: June 10th, 2024

End date: September 27th, 2024

Location and Dates: HDFFA office is located in Bend, Oregon. Travel is required to farms, gardens, and farmers markets throughout Deschutes County and occasionally Crook and Jefferson counties. The Grow & Give Coordinator role runs through Central Oregon's growing season (June - October)

About HDFFA: The High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA) is a non-profit whose mission is to support a healthy and thriving food and farm network in Central Oregon through education, collaboration and inclusion. We believe that everyone deserves good food.We define good food as affordable, nutritious and culturally desired food that is easily accessible and sustainably produced in Central Oregon.

We recognize that not all Central Oregonians have the same access to this food and are committed to improving equitable access for all through our programs. Our High Desert Food & Farm Directory is available to every resident online and in a phone app, called Get a Taste, and in print version, which is distributed to 25,000 households and over 150 businesses through The Source. Our food access programs (VeggieRx, Grow & Give and Fresh Harvest Kits) improve access to and education about eating good food from local producers and are available to Central Oregonians experiencing food insecurity. Our Agricultural Support program improves the vitality of small to mid-sized family farms in Central Oregon.

We also believe that individuals participating in our programs and community members interested in improving food security and farm and ranch viability should have the opportunity to provide feedback and become leaders in our work. With these values in mind, we invite community members to participate in our Agricultural and Food Security Advisory Committees and/or the board of directors to help inform our current work, and to build the leadership capacity for the future of farming, ranching, and food access in

Central Oregon.

Grow & Give is HDFFA's fresh food donation program and operates in conjunction with local farmers markets, farmers, and the regional food bank to collect/harvest and distribute over 30,000 lbs. of produce throughout Central Oregon each year.

Position Summary: HDFFA seeks a qualified, enthusiastic individual to join our team for the 2024 growing season to assist in coordinating HDFFA's Grow & Give program. The Grow & Give Coordinator will collect donated produce at farmers markets and gardens and will harvest excess produce from local farms with our Harvest Team volunteers and deliver produce donations to the NeighborImpact food bank and other local food receiving sites for distribution to 50+ food pantries and hunger relief organizations.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Positively represent HDFFA in the community
• Maintain working knowledge of HDFFA programs, specifically the Fresh Harvest Kit program
• Implement our fresh food donation program (Grow & Give) including: coordinate with farmers, gardeners, community members and organizations including NeighborImpact regional food bank; track and record food donations; supervise volunteers
• Lead volunteer glean events on farms. Keep track of volunteer records (hours, waivers, etc.)
• Collect, weigh, and record produce donations at Bend Farmers Market and Northwest Crossing Farmers Market. Deliver farmers market donations to Agricultural Connections at the end of each market.
• Coordinate pick-up of produce donations from farms and community gardens in the tri-county region.
• Maintain and further develop relationships with farmers who donate to the program and engage our volunteer base to implement on-farm gleaning events.
• Maintain clear communication with HDFFA's Food Access Manager, Program Director and other staff as necessary via phone, email, and check-in meetings.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Interest in supporting efforts to boost community food security in Central Oregon
• Passion for fresh, local food and community health education
• Strong communication skills and a positive attitude
• Enjoy interacting with and engaging the public
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently
• Basic Spanish proficiency or fluency is desirable but not necessary
• Willingness to work weekends
• Willingness to train to operate a forklift
• Physically able to lift 50 lbs.
• Ability and willingness to work outside, harvest produce, and transport 1,000's of lbs. of food with an HDFFA-provided vehicle.

Compensation, Benefits, and Time Commitment

This position is seasonal, part-time (20/hour per week) at a rate of $20 per hour with no benefits. In this position the Grow & Give Coordinator is required to work on two established days: Wednesdays and Saturdays. This role's schedule will vary based on farm gleans and farmers market pickups with a max of 20 hours per week. Mileage reimbursement is available if using your own vehicle. An HDFFA vehicle will be provided for gleans, farm, farmers market and garden pick-ups.

Candidates must possess a current, valid, Oregon driver's license. In addition, the candidate will need to provide a 5-year motor vehicle record obtained through DMV2U (oregon.gov) that includes no license suspensions or manor violations in the last five years.

HDFFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer that abides by federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or national origin; or their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities.